Ready to beamazed?

by Royal appointmentThe sovereign power of europe’s royal families may be a Thing of The pasT, buT in The

21sT cenTury, modern royals conTinue To casT a spell over Travellers.

Journalist Andy Round and photographer Christian Andersson profile the impact of three very different monarchies in denmark, spain and the uK, and reveal the magical royal secrets every visitor should know.

useful websites http://europa.eu/readyforeurope/ www.visiteurope.com

de

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ar

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denmarK

denmarK is home To one of The mosT modern royal families

in europe. following in Their fooTsTeps offers an enTerTaining

way To enjoy The laid-bacK ciTy of copenhagen.

greaT danes

In the past being a Danish monarch was simple. You would fight a couple of wars, build impressive buildings, marry the children off to other European rulers and then polish your historical legacy before that final appointment with a lavish state tomb.

Not anymore.

These days, contemporary Danish royals are infi-nitely more sophisticated. Queen Margrethe II, 74, speaks five European languages, creates costumes for the National Ballet, is an accomplished artist and illustrated the Danish version of Lord of the Rings (with the blessing of J. R. R. Tolkien). She does not wear a crown, sit on a throne or invade other coun-tries. At home she speaks French with her Parisian husband Henri.

Her son, Crown Prince Frederik, 44, is a marathon-running father-of-four who cycles his children to school, was a member of Denmark’s elite army scuba force and once spent months exploring the wintery north of Greenland. By dog sledge.

‘The Danish Royal Family is hugely modern,’ says Henrik Thierlein of Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s tourism organisation. ‘They effortlessly com-bine contemporary 21st century life with the gravi-tas of being the official royal family.’

‘The Danish Royal Family is the oldest in the world and can trace its linage back to Gorm the Old in 900AD.’

HistoRical Royal legacy

Explore the streets of Copenhagen and that histori-cal royal legacy comes alive whether you are follow-

ing in the footsteps of history or the jogging shoes of the Crown Prince.

A good place to start a royal tour is Christiansborg Palace where the affectionately nicknamed ‘Queen Daisy’ hosts state functions. The What is the Queen like? ‘She instantly commands respect,’ says palace representative Jan Blichert-Hansen, showing the vast hall where Margrethe II holds private audiences with her subjects every two weeks. ‘She is genuinely mag-isterial. You always have a sense of great intellect.’

Paintings in the palace reveal how Danish royals are an intrinsic part of Europe’s bigger royal picture.

‘Margrethe’s grandfather Christian IX was known as the father-in-law of Europe,’ says guide Anita Vys-tavel. ‘One son became George I of Greece while his other children married into the royal families of Britain, Norway and Russia.’

Today international marriage alliances are slightly different. In 2000 Crown Prince Frederik met Mary Donaldson, a stylish public relations executive from Tasmania in a bar during the Sydney Olympics.

Four years later they were married in Copenhagen Cathedral. ‘There were 1 700 guests here and it must have been difficult for everyone to see,’ smiles cathe-dral volunteer Rosita Poulsen. ‘But I was impressed by the humility of the flower display. For a state wedding it was beautiful but not ostentatious.’

a style icon

In addition to taking up social causes, particularly measures to combat bullying at school, Crown Prin-cess Mary has now become a style icon and an am-bassador for Danish designers from Uffe Frank, who created her wedding dress, to Malene Birger, who contributes much of her state wardrobe.

‘The Danish Royal Family is hugely modern,’ says Henrik Thierlein of Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s tourism organisation. ‘They effortlessly combine contemporary 21st century life with the gravitas of being the official royal family.’

Minutes from Birger’s airy Copenhagen flagship store, is the treasure trove of Shamballa Jewels founded by Danish brothers Mads and Mikkel Ko-rnerup. After America’s most successful hip-hop star Jay-Z commissioned a black diamond Sham-balla bracelet from Mads in 2001, the company’s international profile went stratospheric.

Today Karl Lagerfeld, Gwyneth Paltrow and Giorgio Armani are all Shamballa fans. ‘I can’t comment on our clients, but I can say that in every case we cre-ate something that is uniquely personal to them,’ says the company’s June Basar. In 2008, during one of the first media interviews with the Crown Prince and his wife, Crown Princess Mary was pictured wearing a Shamballa Jewels bracelet featuring a rare Argyle pink diamond.

on tHe touRist tRail

Back on the tourist trail, on board a glass-covered canal barge, German guide Jana Hoffmeister is crackling out royal highlights over the microphone. ‘That black granite façade is the Royal Library. Over there is the Royal Playhouse which played host to Hamlet, Denmark’s most famous prince on its

opening night and there is the royal berth, sadly the royal yacht seems to be away today…’

Later, during a break while tourists rush ashore to pho-tograph Copenhagen’s famous Little Mermaid statue, Hoffmeister discusses her favourite royal building. ‘I love the elaborate architecture of the Marble Church behind Amalienborg Palace,’ she says. ‘It was started

royalTy on a plaTe

sømod’s candies for sweets, illums bolighus for interior accessories, georg jensen silver and royal co-

penhagen porcelain are all purveyors to the royal danish court with outlets in the city that are fascinat-

ing to visit. got eur16 000 to spare? how about a tureen from royal copenhagen featuring the company’s

famous ‘flora danica’ design. Too expensive? enjoy a glass of wine produced on the french estate of prince

consort henrik and ‘smushi’ at the michelin guide-recommended royal café next door. ‘smushi’ is the

café’s innovative take on denmark’s open sandwich tradition, prepared like sushi.

jewels of copenhagen:

Today the tall towers and red stone of

rosenborg castle house the royal collec-

tions and crown jewels. but when caroline

mathilde was crowned Queen in 1766, she

would invite fairy-tale legend writer hans

christian anderson over to tell the court

stories (her portrait by jens juel hangs in

the castle). unfortunately, as her husband

christian vii became increasingly mental-

ly ill, she began an affair with his doctor.

when the adultery was discovered the doc-

tor was executed and caroline mathilde was

banished to die in exile.

denmarK useful websites www.wonderfulcopenhagen.dk

by King Frederik V in 1749 but he ran out of money half way through the construction and left. It was only finished with private finance 150 years later.’

Hoffmeister’s recommendation is a good excuse to visit Amalienborg Palace. On the cobbled square outside the elegant winter residences of the Crown Prince and Queen, thousands of tourists have gath-ered for the changing of the guard.

‘My husband Eamon and I came here for our 30th anniversary. Watching the changing of the guard is one of the must-see attractions in Copenhagen,’ says Eithne Kavanagh from Ireland. ‘It’s a novelty for us because we don’t have royal families in Ireland and there are not too many left in Europe.’

successive spanish monarchies have always made Their marK on

madrid. from The cenTuries of TradiTion aT philip iii’s 16Th cenTury

plaza mayor To The unbounded joy of The Queen sofia museum, The

royal seal of approval conTinues To define The capiTal’s culTural

landscape.

reign in spain

There is nothing like a thick hot chocolate drink to give you an energy boost after nightclubbing until the early hours.

Just ask Spain’s heir to the throne, Felipe Prince of Asturias.

‘Before he was married he would go to the Teatro Joy Es Lava nightclub next door and then re-energise here at Chocolatería San Ginés,’ says royal expert and Madrid guide Virginia González dipping a fried-dough ‘churro’ into a thick chocolate drink. ‘Delicious.’

Possibly one of the busiest waiters in Madrid takes a second out to show a photograph on the wall of the 1.97m-tall Prince of Asturias leaving the 24-hour chocolatería in the early hours with his then-girlfriend, Spain’s most popular news broadcaster Letizia Ortiz.

Clearly, she was impressed. In 2004 they were mar-ried at La Almudena Cathedral with a banquet held at the Royal Palace opposite. ‘It was held down there in the covered courtyard,’ says guide Juana Sanchez-Cano. ‘The wedding was two months after the Ma-drid train bombing which killed 191 so the mood was very respectful. But at such a dark time I think Spanish people welcomed the chance to celebrate such happiness.’

The Palace is the official state residence of the Span-ish Royal Family and still provides a dramatic back-drop to historic events. Sanchez-Cano reveals the ‘Hall of Columns’ stateroom, where Spain signed the treaty that would lead to the country’s accession to the European Union in 1986, and which was the ven-ue for a heroes’ reception hosted by King Juan Carlos for Spain’s 2010 World Cup Champions.

patRons of cultuRe

Across Plaza de Oriente and the statue of King Felipe IV are the former military barracks and gunpowder store, better known today as the Royal Theatre. It was completed in 1850 and its opening was attend-ed by the opera-loving Queen Isabel II. The theatre still enjoys regular royal patronage. In 2003, Felipe and Letizia, the new Princess of Asturias, attended a concert to celebrate Queen Sofia’s birthday. It was their first public appearance after the announcement of their engagement.

‘Queen Sofia has always been passionate about the arts,’ says the theatre’s Graça Ramos, revealing the building’s backstage secrets from gigantic hydraulics that lower and raise multiple stages to the prop department where artists are putting the finishing touches to a stage dummy corpse. ‘The Queen regu-larly enjoys performances here and often goes back stage to thank the production staff as well as the art-ists.’

The Queen is also the foundation president of the famous art centre that takes her name, the Reina Sofia. Almost three million people visit this former hospital (founded by King Philip II) every year to ex-perience Picasso’s famous Guernica painting, its stag-gering collections of Dali and Miro masterpieces and exhibitions of contemporary works that are changed every three months.

‘The Queen, like the museum, is representative of cultural modernity,’ says Jesús Carrillo. ‘We are con-stantly creating new ways to take our stories to people through collaborations with other museums, lectures, talks and debate. For those that visit us, we

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spain

put these stories in context, for example, by show-ing films, exhibiting posters or photographs from the same period.’

tHe gReatest aRt woRks on eaRtH

Madrid enjoys an embarrassment of cultural riches. At the Prado, Spain’s rich history is revealed through more than 1 300 of the greatest art works on earth including numerous royal portraits. Walking from Goya’s executions in The Third of May 1808 via mas-terworks by Hieronymous Bosch and Rubens to Valàzquez’s legendary Las Meninas is as intoxicating as an El Greco brushstroke.

Outside the sky is bruised with cloud, but that has not deterred the thousands of people relaxing in the 116 hectares of former royal hunting grounds

of Retiro Park. ‘The park was given to the people at the end of the 19th century by the monarchy,’ says guide Virginia González, pointing out the statue of generous King Alfonso XII towering over the busy boating lake.

After strolling through the elegant French-inspired gardens created by Philip V and along ‘Statue Avenue’ with its endless lines of stone monarchs carved by 18th century artists, González walks briskly through the city streets, every church, monument and build-ing revealing a delicious royal story. But it is the more prosaic tales that are the most memorable.

She stops in front of a simple facade. ‘And this is Casa Lucio, one of King Juan Carlos’ favourite restaurants,’ she smiles. ‘His favourite dish? ‘Huevos estrellados’ or special fried eggs. Look. Here it is on the menu, a meal fit for a king for just EUR 12.’

sQuare rooTs

every european capital worth its weight in civic pride needs a decent square. brussels has

the grand place; prague, the old Town square; rome, st peter’s and london, Trafalgar

square. in madrid, it is all about plaza mayor, which King philip ii had built when he moved

his court to the city in 1561. Today it is the perfect hot spot in which to enjoy a cool beer,

but in the past it was also the focal point for celebrations, markets, bullfights, coronations

and the occasional execution by the spanish inquisition.

‘His favourite dish? ‘Huevos estrellados’ or special fried eggs. Look. Here it is on the menu, a meal fit for a king for just EUR 12.’

spain useful websites www.esmadrid.com

regal fooTsTeps

The madrid monastery of las descalzas reales (‘barefoot royals’) was once home of carlos

i and isabel of portugal. when their daughter, juana of austria, was widowed following the

death of the prince of portugal she founded the ’barefoot order of franciscan nuns’ here

in 1557. her son sebastian later went on to become king of portugal.

Kin

gd

om

Kingdom

prince william and KaTe middleTon may have meT as sTudenTs

in scoTland, buT iT was in london ThaT Their fairy-Tale ending

finally came True.

royal romance

When Prince William turned to his new wife on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2011 and said: ‘I love you. One more kiss.’ It was the tear-jerking ‘happy-ever-after’ ending to a royal romance that had truly captivated the world.

Today that royal magic continues to cast a spell over visitors to the UK capital. ‘They have a youth, glam-our and beauty that completely transcends celeb-rity,’ says London guide Angela Akehurst. ‘This is the real story of the little girl, a commoner, who grew up to become a princess. It’s irresistible.’

She is not wrong. Despite the chilly air, there are hundreds of tourists thronging the golden gates of Buckingham Palace to photograph the balcony that was first made famous as a wedding kissing spot by that shy 19-year-old teacher, Lady Diana Spencer, and her new 32-year-old husband Prince Charles in 1981.

Thirty years later more than two billion people tuned in to watch the wedding of their eldest son and more than a million lined the streets leading to Buckingham Palace. ‘Watching that event on TV made you feel you were part of history,’ says Ake-hurst. ‘I celebrated with Champagne and fish and chips. Like everyone else I was absolutely captivated.’

Royal business

Smiling, she points past the giant statue of Queen Victoria to show the route the happy couple took as they drove Prince Charles’ vintage Aston Martin from the wedding reception at Buckingham Palace to the royal residence of Clarence House. Today, nobody is at home, but there is still a forest of tour-ists’ smartphones videoing the stucco façade.

‘Watching that event on TV made you feel you were part of history,’ says Akehurst. ‘I celebrated with Champagne and fish and chips. Like everyone else I was absolutely captivated.’

uniTed

Round the corner from Clarence House are the 16th century brick towers of St James’s Palace built by Henry VIII. Closed to the public, the building is used for official royal business. This is where Mary Tudor signed the treaty that surrendered the last of England’s continental territories, Calais in France, and Elizabeth I set out to inspire her troops against the Spanish Armada. In 2012, St James’s announced Prince William and his wife were expecting a baby, the third in line to the throne.

‘I think Kate-mania has usurped interest in Princess Diana,’ says Kerry Taylor, a vintage fashion specialist and auction house owner, who made history when she sold a 1981 black dress worn by Princes Diana on her first public appearance with Prince Charles for GBP192 000. In 2011, Taylor sold a student ‘netting’ dress worn by Kate Middleton before she became the Duchess of Cambridge for GBP76 000. ‘Sadly, we had no bids from Prince William,’ Taylor says.

official supplieRs to tHe Queen

Close to St James’s are the glistening Royal coats of arms above select outlets on genteel streets such as St James’s, Piccadilly, Jermyn Street or Pall Mall, de-noting they are official suppliers to Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh or the Prince of Wales. These can range from the priceless Fabergé pieces and uniformed doormen of jewellers of Bentley & Skinner and the 200-year-old pharmacy of Dr Har-ris where the warrant of the Prince of Wales glows above shaving brushes and pots of aftershave to royal cheese-sellers Paxton & Whitfield where Cait-

a naTion mourns

princess diana brought up her two sons harry and william at Kensington palace. after her tragic death

in 1997, the entire area in front of the palace gates was carpeted with flowers stretching across Kens-

ington gardens. ‘it was an extraordinary time for everyone working at the palace,’ remembers former

curator joanna marschner. ‘The palace was kept open 24 hours a day for the signing of the books of

condolence by tens of thousands of mourners.’

lin Barrow has ‘about 300 varieties, but our best-seller is Montgomery Cheddar, except at Christmas, when it is Stilton.’

Holder of two royal warrants, nearby John Lobb Bootmaker has been fitting royal feet since the time of King Edward VII in the 19th century. A pair of be-spoke shoes starts from GBP 2 980. ‘What makes us special? We make people feel comfortable in their shoes,’ smiles director Jonathan Lobb. ‘There are not many shoemakers like us left and our shoes last a lifetime. Recently we had a pair of brogues in for repairs which we had made in 1970.’

At Turnbull & Asser, above a rainbow of shirt fabric, are photographs of satisfied clients such as actors Al Pacino and Michael Caine. Those clients not pic-tured are Princes William and Harry.

‘Our clients are well travelled and know what they want,’ says James Cook of the bespoke department where shirts start from GBP 225. ‘They want a shirt that makes them feel magical when they put it on. It sounds whimsical, but once you wear bespoke you can never go back.’

Royal Relaxation

After an afternoon of intensive window-shopping, it is time for a drink. Opposite the Polynesian-themed totem poles guarding Mahiki, the favourite nightclub haunt of Princes Harry and miscellaneous single royals, the Ritz, is the ideal venue for hot tea and fresh scones.

uniTed Kingdom useful websites www.visitlondon.com

pride and groom

as prince william whispered ‘you look beautiful’ to his bride as she arrived before the altar

of london’s westminster abbey, a role call of european royalty strained to listen to every

word. among the guests were the prince and princess of spain, the Queen of denmark,

crown prince and princess of the netherlands, the King and Queen of norway, the prince

and princess of belgium and, of course, celebrity royalty david and victoria beckham.

With its Louis XVI-inspired interiors the hotel has regularly played host to regal romance. This was where King Edward VII used to dine with divorced socialite Wallis Simpson before he abdicated to marry her, and where Prince Charles appeared in public with his second-wife Camilla Parker-Bowles for the first time.

In London, royal history is never far away. A five-minute walk from The Ritz is Garrard, the discrete jewellers who in 1981 provided Princess Diana’s GBP28 000 sapphire engagement ring. In 2011, Wil-liam gave it to his future wife. ‘This is my way of keeping my mother close to all the fun and excite-ment of the wedding,’ he said.

useful websites

www.readyforeurope.eu

denmarK

www.wonderfulcopenhagen.dk

spain

www.esmadrid.com

uniTed Kingdom

www.visitlondon.com

© Pictures: European Commission